Eintracht Frankfurt Women have completed their first new signing for next season after securing the services of Germany international goalkeeper Sophia Winkler from SGS Essen on a contract until 2029.
Winkler, who was 18 years old when she made her debut for Essen in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga, is currently playing her fourth season as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper. She was named in Germany’s senior squad for the first time on 18 October last year before making her debut in a 6-0 victory over Switzerland on 29 November.
“I’ve been in Essen for eight years and received my first senior call-up for Germany last year,” said Winkler. “The summer feels like the right time to take my next steps, so I can continue to develop and compete at the highest level. Eintracht are a top side in Germany with big ambitions, which made my mind up. I want to develop as an athlete and as a person at Eintracht, first and foremost, but I’m also going there with a big dream of winning titles.”
“Enormous potential”
Niko Arnautis, Eintracht Women’s sporting director and head coach, said: “We’ve been keeping an eye on Sophia for a few years now. She’s not only performing very well in the Bundesliga at SGS Essen, she also made her first senior international appearance at the age of just 21. We’re very happy she’ll be part of our goalkeeping team from this summer and are delighted she sees her future at Eintracht. We want to offer Sophia an environment in Frankfurt in which she can continue to grow and develop. We’re convinced her enormous potential will lead her down a successful path with us in the coming years.”
